Here we have the 8 piece, Festool Centrotec Wood drill set. This particular set is in Imperial sizes... good for those of still in the ice age of measurements.

The set comes in a nice clamshell case that locks closed, and flips open along the bottom. The bits inside are held in a pre-fit foam insert. This does a decent job with the smaller bits, however the 1/2" bit and the countersink come "loose" if you turn the case face-side-down. As long as you place it right-side-up before opening it, the big bits finds their way home and don't come tumbling out. There's room for some improvement here, but it works alright.

The 8 piece set includes the following bits, shown left to right in the photo:1/8", 3/16", 1/4", 5/16", 3/8", 7/16", 1/2"The countersink is a 3/16" - 19/32" (5-15mm) single flute countersink.All bits have the Festool Centrotec shank.

Here is the 1/4" bit being inserted into the Centrotec chuck. You insert it 'through' the Centrotec's guide hole by retracting the green tab on the chuck, and then rotate it slightly to seat the hex shank into the drill's drive shaft.

I decided to do test drilling in cedar, as it's so particularly easy to get tear out and fuzzy cuts (using normal bits).

Here is the 1/4" bit tearing into the task. First a straight hole (vertical), and then an angled hole.The side spurs score the cutting hole very nicely, and the flutes clear chips quickly.

Here is the 7/16" bit that I'm using to drill a very deep hole into the 3/4" wide side. This can be a risky move, as the bit can split soft woods if the cut is of low quality and the chips don't get cleared well.

Here is the result. The Festool bit chewed into that hole with aplomb and is tearout free, with only the slightest hint of fuzz around the hole.

Here I've used the countersink on the 7/16" hole. The off-centeredness is my fault... But you can see that the countersink is chatter free and quite clean. It's not perfect, but then again a flat screw head would cover it. The circle's circumference is very clean, which would be visible.

Now shown are all available hole sizes with the bits in this kit, in order from smallest to largest, left to right. All came out pretty nice.

Up closer you can see that the smaller sized holes have more 'fuzzing' than the large ones. If you look closely in the holes you can see the clean cut sides and the nearly flat bottom of the hole. It's not quite as flat as a Forstner bit would produce, but pretty close.

Like all Festool cutting accessories I've handled thus far these drill bits are impressively sharp, made to perfection, and work superbly (enough superlatives?). I would not use these for everyday tasks... e.g. predrilling plaster for mounting pictures; drilling framing/construction lumber, etc which would be a waste of fine tooling. Reserving these for the making of finer things, or with splinter-prone wood will result in longer life, sustained sharpness, and quality results.

At a current price of $125 for the set, they aren't cheap. But it's a relatively decent bargain if you consider that the countersink alone lists for $41. Removing that, the seven drill bits average out to $12 each. Definitely not your China made cheapos from the hardware store. But you are not getting China made cheapo quality. Additionally, these integrate with the Centrotec system, allow for nearly nonexistent runout and very quick bit changes.

« Last Edit: June 29, 2010, 11:39 AM by Wood_Junkie »

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Nice one Wood_Junkie, I prefer brad point bits for wood, but find some that have little or no tearout has always been the problem. When my current set of bits wear out I think I shall get a set of these (metric ones though )

On second thoughts I won't as not even the imperial set is available in the uk according to our Festool site and search feature.

Nice one Wood_Junkie, I prefer brad point bits for wood, but find some that have little or no tearout has always been the problem. When my current set of bits wear out I think I shall get a set of these (metric ones though )

On second thoughts I won't as not even the imperial set is available in the uk according to our Festool site and search feature.

Rob.

I have the same problem Rob. Looked in my Festool catalogue and it seems we don't get that set, annoying. :/

Are these not the brad point bits? Looking at the last picture it sure looks like it.

what are the chances of this set fitting into the lid compartment of the T15+3 systainer?

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Disclaimer: This post is for educational and entertainment purposes only. Any resemblance to real persons, living or dead is purely coincidental. Void where prohibited. Some assembly required. Batteries not included. Contents may settle during shipment. Use only as directed. No other warranty expressed or implied. This is not an offer to sell securities. May be too intense for some viewers. No user-serviceable parts inside. Subject to change without notice. One size fits all (very poorly).

492519 is the previous set sold in NA. It is metric and, I would think, would be available outside NA. I have one of those left and to my knowledge, I can't get any more.

496942 Is the currently available set in NA. It has Imperial sized bits. Those are regular stock items, at least here.

Tom

I would love to buy that metric one off you but sadly I think the cost of shipping wouldn't be worth it and since we can't even buy that anymore...Let me show you what they let us buy:I couldn't even find a picture of it on the internet so I had to take that one straight out of the catalogue (I hope that doesn't break some kind of copyright law :/)

They give us 5 out of 7 bits available forcing us to buy the counter sink and the other bits separately so that they can rattle around in our systainer. The one reviewed here seems logical, all the bits available and a counter sink for all screw sizes all in a nice container. That pretty much sorts you out for wood. This type of thing frustrates me.

Chris, they are the short bradpoint bits designed for use in tight places when using the angled chuck attachment. Those I believe are still available in the UK.I just do not understand why the North American market has been able to get them in both metric & imperial !!!?

Is it an attempt to appease all of the NAINA kit withheld from those poor souls?

Chris, they are the short bradpoint bits designed for use in tight places when using the angled chuck attachment. Those I believe are still available in the UK.I just do not understand why the North American market has been able to get them in both metric & imperial !!!?

Is it an attempt to appease all of the NAINA kit withheld from those poor souls?

Rob.

I don't know what the "NAINA kit" is sorry.

I know they are the short version, you can buy the "long" version as well but it is still only the 5 piece kit when Festool sell 7 brad point wood bits in total... The EU catalogue doesn't have a 7 piece set, this annoys me.

You said in your review your countersink was of centre but I find that countersink does go of centre easily especially when its small pilot hole. Its also alot slower at counter sinking especially in MDF. It does do a clean cut but I think you have to put alot of pressure on it.

Chris, they are the short bradpoint bits designed for use in tight places when using the angled chuck attachment. Those I believe are still available in the UK.I just do not understand why the North American market has been able to get them in both metric & imperial !!!?

Is it an attempt to appease all of the NAINA kit withheld from those poor souls?

Rob.

I don't know what the "NAINA kit" is sorry.

NAINA is a acronym that a member here came up with for Festool products not sold in the US and Canada. Not Avilable In North America.